Bowling ball retarding device



J. ZUERCHER BOWLING BALL RETARDING DEVICE Oct. 21, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 1Filed Nov. 29, 1955 INVENTOR JOHN ZUERCHER BY 6% ATTORNEY Oct. 21, 1958J. ZUERCHER 2,857,162 BOWLING BALL RETARDING DEVICE Fi led Nov. 29, 19552 Sh eets-Sheet 2 1 FIG. 3

INVENTCR 3 JOHN ZUERCHER -ATTOR EY United States Patent 2,857,162BOWLING BALL RETARDING DEVICE John Zuercher, Mansfield, Ohio, assignorto American g Iachine & Foundry Company, a corporation of New ersey Thisinvention relates to bowling apparatus, and more particularly toimprovements in bowling ball retarding devices operative to reduce themomentum of bowling balls. While not limited thereto, the invention isadvantageously employed in connection with bowling ball checks forretarding balls moving along the return runway of the bowling alley.

In known types of ball checks, there is always the possibility that,because of the construction of the ball check, a slowly moving ball willbe unable to operate the check and move on to its final position ofrest. This disadvantage is characteristic of so-called dash-pot types ofball checks.

The present invention constitutes the solution of the problem ofproviding a bowling ball retarding device which is free acting and onewhich always operates satisfactorily regardless of the momentum of ballsto be retarded.

In one advantageous embodiment, the invention consists of a ball checkhaving a check-arm supporting a pivotally mounted ball engaged element.The check-arm is connected to one end of a brake band loosely encirclinga stationary brake drum. The other end of the brake drum is attached toan inertia member or counterweight. Spring means are provided fornormally maintaining the brake band out of engagement with the brakedrum. So long as this condition obtains, the check-arm can be moveddownwardly between the rails of the ball return and a ball can movethereover. This operation occurs in the case of a slowly moving ballengaging the pivotally mounted element on the ball check arm. When,however, a ball moving more rapidly along the return runway strikes thepivoted element on the check-arm, the braking system is actuated andchecks the momentum of the ball to a marked extent before the brake bandis released and the ball can move the check-arm downwardly and rollthereover.

It is an object of the invention to provide a novel ball check for usewith a bowling alley ball return.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a novel bowling ballcheck for a ball return runway wherein a brake band system is operativeto stop the forward travel of rolling balls, and especially rapidlyrolling balls.

The invention is further characterized by the provision of a novel freeacting bowling ball check which is operative under all conditions ofoperation despite the variations in the momentum of balls whose movementis checked thereby.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a bowling ball checkhaving a single pivot for its operating members, and wherein the ballcheck is free acting for all balls checked thereby, regardless of theirrolling speed along the return runway of a bowling alley.

The invention is further characterized by the provision of a bowlingball retarding device having a selectively operated braking system whichis set into operation when the force of a ball striking its ballcheck-arm is greater Patented Oct. 21, 1958 with the braking system.

, With these and other objects, not specifically mentioned in View, theinvention consists in certain combinations and constructions whichwillbe described fully hereinafter, and then set forth in the claimshereunto appended.

Referring now to the following detailed specification taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings, which form a part of thisspecification, and in which like characters of reference indicate thesame or like parts: i

Figure l is a side elevation showing a preferred embodiment of myinvention;

Figure 2 is a front elevation of the ball check shown in Figure 1;

Figure-3 is a sectional view of the structure shown in Figure 1;and

Figure 4 is an isometric view disclosing the brake band which forms apart of the ball check.

The ball check made in accordance with the invention may be used on anytype of bowling alley ball return as long as it can be mounted so thatits operating or ball checking member can be located in the path oftravel of a ball-xrolling on to the ball delivery section of a ballreturn on which it is installed. I

InKthe form of invention illustrated herein, the ball check is;designated generally 2. It comprises an upright support bracket 10formed from two spaced channel members 11, the lowerends of which aresuitably mounted on the approach end of a bowling alley. The upper ends12 of members-11 have suitably attached thereto blocks 13 to which theball return rails of runway R are fixed.

Members 11 support a transverse shaft 14. The ends of shaft 14 areseated in slots 18 in members 11, and

are heldsecurecl therein, as by suitable machine screws 16 threaded intothe ends of the shaft.

.A brake drum 20 is supported on and keyed to shaft 14-(Figure 3). arebushings 22 on which is swingably supported a forked inertia member 24.Also mounted on shaft 14 is a bushing 26 swingably supporting an arm 28,the upper free end of which carries a pivotally mounted roller 30.Roller 30is freely rotatably mounted and preferably is provided with ashock absorbing surface or tire, such as a rubber tire, or it may beformed of rubber. This construction prevents damage to a ball when itstrikes roller 30, and also tends to reduce shock in the ball checktionary.

Attached to and projecting rearwardly from arm 28 is a shroud 32. Shroud32 is provided with a downwardly curved surface and acts to preventpossible injury to a player if his hand were in the path of movement ofarm 28 when it is depressed by a moving ball.

The lower free end of arm 28 carries a substantially horizontal stud34which engages with a pair of loops 36 forming one end of a split brakeband 38 (Figures Blend 4). The other end of brake band 38 is providedwith'aloop 40 (Figures 2 and 4) which engages with a gagement one withshaft 34 and one with shaft 42. Thus,

' one end of spring 48 is engaged in a groove 52, Fig. 3,, in

Mounted adjacent the ends of shaft.14

shaft 34, while the other end of the spring is engaged in a groove 54,Fig. 2, in shaft 42. It will thus be noted that the ends of the springare disposed between the shafts 34 and 42, so that pivotal movement ofarm 28 toward the pivoted counterweight comprising elements 24, 25stresses spring 48. A similar action occurs when the counterweightassembly pivots toward arm 28. The spring 48 thus constitutes resilientmeans for transmitting pivotal movement between arm 28 and thecounterweight.

Split brake band 38 is provided with a suitable conventional type ofbrake lining 44 (Figure 3) which engages with brake drum 20. Brake band38 is so mounted on drum 20 that there is clearance therebetween. Itsoperation is such that when a slowly moving ball strikes roller 30, arm28 is moved thereby downwardly between rails R and spring 48 elevatesinertia extension 25 without causing gripping action of brake band 38 ondrum 20. In the case of a rapidly moving ball striking roller 30, thetension of spring 48 is overcome by the force of the ball, and brakeband 38 grips drum 20 thus checking the movement of a ball beforedownward movement of arm 28 takes place.

As shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3, forked member 24 is provided at itslower end with an inertia extension 25, preferably forming an integralpart thereof. This extension functions as a counterweight, and normallybiases member 24 to a position of rest against transverse bumper 56. Inthe illustrated embodiment, bumper 56 is tubular and covered with aresilient material, such as rubber. It is secured to support members 11by a suitable bolt 58 extending through the tubular bumper 56 andsecured in place by nuts threaded on each end of the bolt.

As shown, ball check 2 is located in the ball delivery portion 8 of abowling alley ball return runway, and is so mounted that a ball willhave rolled along substantially the entire length of the return runway Rand approached the point where its momentum must be checked rapidly in aminimum of time in order that the ball will then move slowly to aposition of rest without damaging other balls or bouncing off the ballrest.

When forked member 24 rests against bumper 56, as shown in Figure 1, arm28, due to the coaction of link 46 and spring 48, is maintained in asubstantially vertical position with roller 30 in the path of movementof a ball B in the direction of arrow A as it approaches the deliveryportion 8 of return runway R. As ball B rolls along the rails of runwayR and strikes roller 30, arm 28 has the tendency to swing downwardlybetween the rails of runway R in a clockwise direction of movement, asillustrated by the arrow D in Figure 1. However, if the ball strikesroller 30 with a force greater than the tension of spring 48 which bymeans of shafts 34 and 42 holds brake band 38 open, shaft 34 because ofthe movement of arm 28 under the impact of ball B, is quickly moved inthe direction of arrow C, as indicated in Figure 1, thereby causingbrake band 38 to be tightened momentarily about stationary brake drum20. This action also momentarily arrests the movement of arm 28 anddiminishes the force and consequently the speed of movement of ball B.

Spring 48 is designed for and tends normally to hold shafts 34 and 42apart which results in brake band 38 being held open. Therefore, afterrecovery from the impact of ball B striking roller 30, it will slightlylift forked inertia member 24, which in turn slightly opens brake band38. Release of the brake allows the ball B to continue its travel withreduced momentum. Further movement of the ball slowly depresses arm 28,the pivoted assembly comprising elements 24, 25 acting as acounterweight to further reduce the momentum of the ball as the ballrolls over roller 30. After ball B has rolled past depressed arm 28 androller 30, forked member 24 swings downwardly to rest against bumper 56,and arm 28 moves to the position shown in Figure 1, awaiting the impactof the next ball as it rolls to delivery portion 8 of ball return runwayR.

In the installation shown in Figure 1, ball return runway R is inclinedslightly downwardly to the right. While this inclination is preferred,it is not essential because although the movement of a ball B ischecked, as described above, when its strikes roller 30, when spring 48lifts inertia arm or counterweight 25, the grip of brake band 38 on drum20 is released and arm 28 can move freely downwardly as ball B rollsthereover.

A ball check made in accordance with the invention is not only simple inconstruction but also free acting. This is because in operation it cancheck and retard the movement of any ball which strikes its ballcheck-arm. A slowly moving ball will push the check-arm downwardlyagainst the counter force of its inertia weight. On the other hand, arelatively fast rolling ball will cause the actuation of its brake bandsystem and thereby effect a strong braking force acting to retard themomentum of the ball before it, also while moving slowly, depresses thecheck-arm and rolls thereover as in the case of the slowly moving ballfirst discussed.

I claim:

1. A ball retarding device for a bowling alley return runway comprisinga pivotally mounted ball check-arm located in position to be engaged bya ball rolling along said runway, a pivotally mounted counterweightmember having a weighted extension, a ball engaging member carried byone end of said arm, a shaft carried by the other end of said arm, ashaft carried by said counterweight member, a slotted link connectingboth of said shafts, spring means engaging each of said shafts andnormally maintaining said shafts at extreme positions in the slot ofsaid link, a brake drum, a brake band encircling said drum, said brakeband having its ends connected to said shafts, a stop for said weightedextension adapted to maintain said check-arm in substantially verticalposition for engagement by a ball, said arm being operative in responseto a ball striking said ball engaging member with a force greater thanthe force exerted by said spring means on said shafts to move saidshafts towards each other and engage said brake band with said drum forchecking the momentum of said ball.

2. The ball check defined in claim 1, wherein said spring means isoperative after the initial impact of said ball on said ball engagingmember, to effect a separation of said shafts in said slotted link andrelease said brake band whereby said ball may depress said check-arm andmove thereover to a position of rest, said counterweight extension beingoperative in response to the movement of said ball over said depressedcheck-arm to return to its position of rest against said stop torelocate said check-arm in its normal operative position.

3. A ball return check device for checking the momentum of balls rollingalong a bowling alley ball return runway comprising a ball check armdisposed in position to be engaged by a rolling ball, a support for saidarm, a shaft mounted in said support pivotally mounting said arm, acounterweight pivotally mounted on said shaft, a brake drum attached tosaid shaft, a brake band encircling said brake drum, resilient meansinterconnecting said arm and said counterweight and operative totransmit pivotal motion between said members, said resilient means beingconnected to said brake band to normally maintain said brake band looseon said drum, and means connecting said brake band to said arm and saidcounterweight whereby said brake band is brought into operativeengagement with said brake drum to prevent substantial movement of saidarm, and thereby effectively retard movement of the ball, when said armis subjected to a force exerted by the ball sufficient to distort saidresilient means to a predetermined extent.

4. The return check device defined in claim 3 wherein said resilientmeans include a shaft carried by said checkarm, a shaft carried by saidcounterweight, a link having an elongated slot connecting said shafts,and a torsion spring encircling said first named shaft and provided witharms engaging and urging said last named shafts apart.

5. In a device for retarding movement of a bowling ball, the combinationof a pivoted ball retarding means, a pivoted counterweight, a frictionbrake associated with said ball retarding means and actuable to brakethe same, resilient means interconnecting said ball retarding means andcounterweight and operative to transmit pivotal motion from one suchpivoted member to the other, said resilient means yielding duringtransmittal of motion from said ball retarding means to saidcounterweight, and means connected to said resilient means andoperatively associated with said brake to actuate the latter to brakesaid ball retarding means in response to a predetermined yielding ofsaid resilient means.

6. In a device for retarding movement of a bowling ball, the combinationof a movable ball retarding means, means for mounting said ballretarding means in the path of travel of a ball on the return runway, aninertia member, means movably mounting said inertia member, resilientmeans interconnecting said ball retarding means and inertia member andeffective to transmit motion therebetween, said resilient means yieldingunder forces applied thereto by movement of said ball retarding means, afriction brake operatively associated with said ball retarding means andactuatable to brake the latter, and means connected to said resilientmeans and operatively associated with said brake to actuate the same tobrake said ball retarding means in response to a predetermined yieldingof said resilient means.

7. In a bowling ball retarding device, the combination of a shaft, aball retarding means pivotally mounted on said shaft, a fixed brake drumcarried by said shaft, a brake band embracing said drum, a counterweightmounted to pivot on said shaft, means connecting the ends of said bandone to said retarding means and one to said counterweight wherebyrelative pivotal movement of said retarding means and counterweight inone direction is eifective to tighten said band on said drum and therebybrake said retarding means and a torsion spring having one end connectedto said retarding means and one end connected to said counterweight toresiliently bias said retarding means and counterweight against suchrelative pivotal movement.

8. In a bowling ball retarding device, the combination of a ballretarding means, a counterweight, means mounting said check andcounterweight for pivotal movement in substantially parallel planes,brake means including a fixed friction member and "a movable frictionmember, said movable friction member being connected both to saidretarding means and said counterweight and construoted to be broughtinto engagement with said fixed brake member by relative pivotalmovement of said retarding means and counterweight toward each other,and yieldable means interconnecting said retarding means andcounterweight to transmit pivotal motion therebetween.

9. In a device for retarding movement of a bowling ball, the combinationof ball retarding means including a pivotally mounted arm, acounterweight, means pivotally mounting said counterweight, resilientmeans interconnecting said arm and said counterweight and effective totransmit pivotal motion from one such member to the other, normallyinactive friction brake means operatively associated with said retardingmeans to restrain movement of said arm when said brake means is actuatedto braking position, and means operated by distortion of said resilientmeans to a predetermined extent by pivotal movement of said arm foractuating said brake means to braking position.

10. In a bowling ball retarding device, the combination of a ballretarding member, means mounting said member for pivotal movement aboutan axis displaced from the path of travel of ball to be retarded, abrake operatively associated with said member and actuatable to brakethe same against such pivotal movement, a pivoted counterweightconnected to said member to bias the same against such pivotal movement,yieldable means also connected to said member and yieldable in responseto pivotal movement of said member about said axis when the same isengaged by a rapidly moving ball, and means connected to said yieldablemeans and operatively associated with said brake and effective toactuate the same to brake member in response to said yielding of saidyieldable means.

11. In a device for retarding the movement of a bowling ball, thecombination of a retarding member mounted for pivotal movement about anaxis removed from the path of travel of balls to be retarded, biasingmeans connected to said member and effective to bias the same againstsuch pivotal movement to an extent which can be overcome by the forceapplied to said member by a slowly moving ball, brake means operativelyconnected to said member and actuatable from a non-braking condition toa braking condition, and actuating means connected to said brake meansand operative to actuate said brake means to braking condition, saidactuating means comprising means connected to said retarding member andoperated only in response to abrupt pivotal movement thereof about saidaxis.

12., In a device for retarding movement of a bowling ball, thecombination of retarding means mounted for pivotal movement about anaxis displaced from the path of travel of balls to be retarded, afriction brake operatively associated with said retarding means to brakethe same against pivotal movement about said axis, and actuating meansconnected to said brake and operative to actuate the same to brake saidretarding means, said actuating means comprising means connected to saidretarding means and operated only in response to abrupt pivotal movementthereof about said axis.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,597,072 Cowgill May 20, 1952

